Citizen Connections: last meeting in Paris

Citizen Connections: last meeting in Paris

In the week running from 18 to 22 September 2017, the 15 participants from eight countries in French-speaking Africa will be in Paris to give their projects a final boost.

Following the end of a six-week online training course in December 2016, the 15 Citizen Connections participants travelled to Paris in February 2017 to attend workshops, meet professionals and develop their projects. Two 'bush camps' were also organised in rural areas with no Internet access in April and July 2017, one near Dakar and the other near Cotonou.

This closing session must help them to make further progress in finalising their projects. For four days, around a dozen mentors will be on hand to provide targeted advice to each participant. The last day will be set aside for a competition. A panel will assess the pitches of the 15 participants and award prizes to the most convincing projects.


"With the personalised advice we received from our mentors and the other participants' suggestions, our projects are now more focused." Tidiani TOGOLA ('Mon Élu' - Mali)

"This is a unique experience – I have already been able to put my idea to the test, and to identify its strengths and weaknesses. During the next stage I am looking forward to getting some tips on which tools to use and how to develop my budget, but more than anything I am hoping to expand my network and share experiences." Maurice THANTAN ('ToNanGnon' - Benin)

"If I had to sum up Citizen Connections in a few words, they would be: emulation, production of content, production of value." Seynabou SY NDIAYE ('Moi, citoyen' - Senegal)

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